Black water be my lover
by Silaeralin
Summary: Love at first sight can get complicated fast.


The darkness was threatening to consume me as I stood staring down at the water flowing under the bridge, considering how comforting the black waters looked. My tears had dried up, leaving me emotionally empty.

Johnny was self destructing and there was nothing I could do about it.

My hands shifted, letting go for a moment. I had to consciously force myself to grab hold of the railing. Lauren didn't know how bad I was tonight, and I didn't plan on telling her until later.

A hand landed on my shoulder. "You really don't want to do that. Trust me whoever he is, he's not worth it."

I spun digging for my rage, but there was nothing. The man pulled me back onto the bridge and let me sink down crying. He knelt down in front of me. Through my tears I examined my would be savior. Through the blur all I could tell was that he was male.

He held out a handkerchief to me. I took it and wiped my eyes. The elf smiled at me, with eyes full of sympathy. "Trust me whatever it was, it'll get better."

Somehow he made me want to believe it. "Let's get you inside." I knew it was probably bad idea, but only the latest in a spectacular list of them.

He took me to the nearest tavern and bought me a cup of tea. I noticed that there was a predominance of elves here. Somehow a comforting fact.

Brushing a strand of silver hair behind his ear he sat down in front of me. Brilliant blue cat eyes looked at me. His clothes were worn and dusty, a life time on the road. I didn't know why I knew, but I did. Just like I knew he understood why I was on that bridge.

"It's my brother. He's destroying himself and their isn't anything I can do to save him." I took a sip of the tea, and to my surprise it was peppermint. "The thing is, I love him, probably more than I should." My eyes fell, weighted down by my words.

His hand reached across and took mine. "I know the feeling." and he did, I could feel it. I jerked my hand away and stumbled back as he did the same. Panic in both our eyes.

"What was that?" I could still feel him in the peripheral of my mind.

"I don't know. It's never happened before." His voice held a hint of awe and fear.

The bartender walked over. "There a problem." He sounded concerned, eying my companion.

"We're trapped in each others head." It simply blurted out. The barkeeper broke out in an amused grin.

"Just met did ya?" He chortled at our nod. "Congratulation you've just met your soul mate." At our blank looks he got a bit concerned. "Just how old are the two of you?"

"Thirty." and my friend replied "twenty-four"

"Gods you two are still children."

Normally I'd be indignant but at this point I was thinking they might be right.

"You two must have been human raised not to know what a mangwedh is." His voice was a mix of scorn and amusement. He sat down at the table and smiled while gesturing for us to sit back down. We did, if a little hesitantly. "The gods gave the elves a great gift, when we find the one to complete our soul we know it. This is a mangwedh, a bonding of spirits. It's truly a joy to find one at such a young age." He may believe it, but I wasn't so sure right now, after all I didn't know him even if everything that I was was screaming too, and more.

"Perhaps you two should start with your names?" He sounded amused.

"I am Mornen, psi knight, from the city of Laslo."

"Nyk, mage, new to this world."

"Tell me about your world." He smiled at me, and I started to relax. The bartender ushered us upstairs and left us with a bottle of wine and a smile.

Upstairs we sat on the bed, as awkward as two teenagers, which I guess by the standards of our people we were. He poured us both a drink.

"How long since you came through the rift?" He took a sip and tried to shift in his armor.

I had to smile. "Two years since the first one, and let me help you out of that. It can't be comfortable." My fingers fumbled on the catches as he shifted nervously. The situation was so absurd that I started to laugh, grinning at him, and soon he joined me. It broke the tension.

A few minutes after we started he was out of the worst of the plates and laying on the bed facing me. "Tell me from the beginning."

"Are you sure, that can take all night."

He smiled and touched my hip. "We have the rest of forever."

A sentiment I wish my scared heart could echo, but I wanted too so bad it threatened to consume me. Why not let hope have a shot. If this soul mate thing was true, and my gut said it was, why not let him in.

"I never knew anything about my birth mother, and the man I called father may not even be my blood. Actually I hope he isn't, he's a total ass. He played us all against one another, with his love as the reward. I was neither manipulative nor ruthless enough to thrive" I gave him a bitter smile. "I was the bastard child, and resented for it, and a sickly one at that. There were several times growing up they didn't think I'd make it, but I was too stubborn and medical care too good for that to happen."

"By the time I was eight I decided that the last thing I ever wanted was to follow in his footsteps. I was dead set on being an entertainer, a singer or actor or something. Made him livid, but nainai thought it was a wonderful idea. That set him off too, but one thing about my grandmother when she set her mind to it, she was unstoppable. I got my training." My smile was a wistful one, I missed my time there.

"Father finally got his way, but then nainai decided she wanted a traveling companion. Mostly I think because she knew if I stayed I'd have died. I was drowning there, but traveling was like being reborn. There was just so much to learn." He smiled and traced a pattern on my hip.

"We were in China on my twelfth birthday when my magic woke. We'd been on a hike in the mountains when I got separated from my half-brother, or left, depending on who you ask. Four days later I wandered back into camp. No one believed me about the talking trees until I showed them. I'd inadvertently summoned the spirits I needed to both show me the way home, and take care of me until I got there. My new status as a mage changed everything at home. Of all the children I was the only manna active one." I winced remembering the new demands placed one me. "Father farmed me out like a prize piece of livestock for my training. I was taking advanced studies at college by fourteen. I thrived there, a love of learning goes a long way." From his smile he understood.

"I signed on with the military the moment I could, as much to get out of my prison of a home as serve my country. I was good at it too, would have made a life of it if not for that damn conference." This part of my life I wished I could just gloss over, it led to my daemons and nightmares. "I'd been invited to speak, but on the way we were attacked. Almost everyone died. I ended up prisoner of a very unfriendly power." I was shaking as I sat up, downing the rest of my drink. "Eight months of hell and madness later they finally freed me. But I was broken inside." He wrapped his arms around me until I stopped shaking. "Sorry, I still have nightmares about it." I'll be okay, and I promise I'm only hitting the highlights. Like the daemon out for my soul. After getting turned loose in Seattle I became a mercenary with a few friends I'd met. It was on one of those jobs that I almost ended up a sacrifice, but luckily I'm hard to kill." I held my glass out for him. "It was also one of those jobs that ended up with us through a gate."

I laid back down and rested my head on his shoulder. "Now it's your turn. Providing I haven't scared you off." He laughed. "Things will no doubt be interesting, but I have less to tell. My mother and sister came through a rift, and my father left me with little save his hair color and a twin brother. I was three when the Coalition exterminated the village. My sister managed to hide the three of us in the root cellar until they were gone. One of the other survivors took us in. Aggie is a wonderful woman, even if I'm not sure of her species. I've got six cousins, all her children." He hesitantly kissed me. "I can't wait for you to meet her. Her oldest worked at the university and sort of took me under their wing. I loved the library, in there I could be anything, or anyone." His lips held a wistful smile much like my own had been. "Much like you I found myself in the company of learning. I joined the artifact hunters as soon as I was old enough. I've done well for myself at it too, Aggie doesn't need to work if she doesn't want too, but she has too much fun in the tavern." He looked at me and laughed. "She's something of a busybody."

After that we simply lay together and whispered our dreams to each other.

The next morning I came down from my room in a better mood, and grinned when I saw Kyrannis. I slid into the seat opposite. "What do you know about mangwedh?"

He looked a little surprised by the question, but answered willingly enough. "The gods decreed that each soul has a twin, one whose spiritual journey is entwined with theirs. The mangwedh is when these souls meet and the gods link them for all time."

"So it's not something you can choose?"

"No, not to my knowledge. Though you can form a bond with someone, which is similar."

That was a relief. "Can you describe it?"

"From personal experience, it's a moment of clarity, when you are filled by a feeling of immediate and eternal devotion, and they feel the same. It is the constant knowledge that someone is always there. The feeling of their emotions in the deepest part of your soul." he gave me a look, "Do you mind me asking why you wanted to know." Lauren was looking at me curiously as well. I blushed bright red.

"I met someone last night, and it's pretty much like you described. Only we didn't know what was happening. The bartender thought it was great fun." I smiled to myself, fingering the necklace he'd given me. "His name is Mornaur. He works for the library in Laslo as field agent. I'd like you to meet him."

Mornaur was waiting in the common room of his inn, he'd obviously prepared for this meeting. , His silver hair was pulled back in a topknot, and the smile in his bright blue eyes barely reached his lips. His clothes were black silk tunic trimmed in blue and black leather pants. Both were clean and neat but had seen better days. The armor he was in last night was no where to be seen, which on consideration was probably a good thing.

As we approached he stood and steeped towards me, pausing to brush my hair back, before turning and bowing to the others. "An honor to meet you."


End file.
